Sowing Seeds of Light

I was reading the Bible this morning and these two verses jumped out at me.

" Light is sown like seed for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart. Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name." Psalm 97: 11-12 ( NASB) In the Holman Bible the translation is, " Light dawns for the righteous...".

This time of year we plant seeds, another term for that is "sow". I relate this verse to sowing seeds. When you are a Christian who tries to live righteous and godly, you are sowing seeds of light. You may not see that light immediately, but eventually you will. When you sow the seed of righteousness, you will harvest the bounty of gladness. You will be glad in the Lord when you are living according to God's commands and His will for your life.

Does this mean that everything will go smoothly for us all the time? NO! but even in the dark valleys, we can have a contentment and have joy and gladness in the Lord.

The last part of verse 12 calls for others to give thanks with you. Let all creation give thanks and be glad in the Lord. We as individuals are called on to give thanks, and then we want to lead others in a praise chorus of thanksgiving to the Lord!

When Christ died, He sowed that seed for us. That seed is bursting forth, and this light, The God of light shines forth in our hearts! I am so very glad today and thankful! Will you join me in a chorus of gladness and thankfulness today?

Is Your Soul as Watered as Your Garden?

My Herbs

Thyme

Oregano

Mint (on left)

Parsley (on right)

Basil

Red Gerber Daisy

Yellow Dahlia

I love this time of year when I can plant my flowers again, and have fresh herbs from my own garden to use in my cooking. But one thing is for sure, if I neglect them and I don't water them (especially on days like yesterday when it is in the 90's here), they will certainly shrivel and die.

The same is true if we neglect our relationship with the Lord. We will become dry and parched in our souls. If we have a garden or flowers, we tend them and take care of them by watering them regularly. Are we caring for our souls as diligently?

In the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, God calls himself "The fountain of living waters..." Jeremiah 2:13. In the New Testament Jesus says."but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

If we stay in close fellowship with the Lord, we will feel that our souls are nourished and fresh. We have a joy within us that the world cannot give or understand. When we read His Word daily and stay close to the Lord through prayer, we feel like our souls are being given a good soaking, like a parched plant. We drink it in, and we are sustained for another day.

The Holy Spirit within us can "blossom forth", and our joy can splash over on other's that we come in contact with.

John 7:38 that if we believe in Christ, ..."From his innermost being will flow rivers of water." We can't help but water those around us with these rivers of water. They splash over from a heart that's overflowing.

We shouldn't keep this "Life sustaining substance" to ourselves! Let's go out and "splash joy" on other's today!

Daniel's Chicken Pot Pie

Today is my sweet son's 21st Birthday. For his birthday lunch, I made one of his favorites. I start receiving the requests for the recipe. So here it is.

Chicken Pot Pie

Boil 4-6 chicken breast tenderloins

1 bag or box of mixed vegetables frozen, cook according to package directions

1 can of sliced mushrooms

1 1/3 cup of chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Boil chicken and cut up in bite sized pieces. Set off to the side.

In large bowl, mix the 2 soups and the chicken broth, then add the cut-up chicken, then add the cooked mixed vegetables and the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper. Mix well. Place this in a greased 13x9 dish.

Crust:

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup buttermilk or regular milk

1 stick of butter melted

Mix all of this together in a separate bowl and pour over the chicken pot pie mixture.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

(Serves 4-6 people)

Enjoy!

What's in a Word?

I am prone easily to fainting! I hate to admit it, but I am. If I am in too much pain, my knees get weak and my legs fail me, and boom, down I go! It is not a fun thing by any means. When I went in to have my first child, they wanted me to walk the hospital floor. I told them it wasn't a great idea, but they wouldn't listen. I am walking and I started to feel faint, I warned them I was going down. So my sweet husband brought me back to my room and gently put me back to bed.

A few months ago when I was having so much pain with a kidney stone, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and before I knew it boom, I was on the floor with a thud! My strong husband once again rescued me. He helped me up, and put me back to bed. (Are you noticing a pattern). I faint, Steve is there to help me, to rescue me, to sustain me, he is a strength for me when my strength is gone. My strength leaves me, and down I go. It is so wonderful to have someone that I can lean on, that will be there for me in those times of weakness. I am glad that this doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I know I can count on him.

This made me think of this verse. "Yours words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have strengthened feeble knees." (Job 4:4 NASB) I am so thankful not only for my strong husband being there for me physically to help me stand, when I can't. But I am also just as grateful for the dear Christian friends who have been there to help me stand spiritually with a strong Word from God. This encouragement has been so valuable to me through the years.

I want to be like that with people. I want my words to be a help to the tottering, and to the feeble in spirit, strength, like a strong arm that is reaching out to them. Someone they can lean on to help get them through their journey. How are we doing with this? Are our words like a "shot" of strength to people, or are they words that knock them down? We can strengthen people with our words, even if we are not strong physically. Help us Lord to be a bolster and support to people, to strengthen them with Your Words, and in Your mighty name! Amen

Listen to Your Mother!

"Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck. " ( Proverbs 1:8-9 ESV)

The beginning of this verse starts out by saying "Hear", another way to put that would be," listen." So many times as a child my Mother would say, "Listen to Me!". She would make sure before she gave an important instruction that I was listening.

I love the fact that the Bible mentions not only Father's, but Mother's also! A Jewish Mother was highly regarded. Solomon's Mother gave him excellent instruction in Proverbs 31.

If we listen to our Mother's teachings they will be as a graceful garland for our head, and pendants for our necks. We will always be accessorized! In other words we will be spiritually beautiful!

Have you been around wise people, and just thought how lovely they were? Not that they had the most expensive and beautiful clothes and material things, but there was just something different about them, maybe you couldn't put your finger on it, but they just glow! The Spirit of God is just radiating from them. I know I have.

This Mother's Day weekend, I have been thinking about my sweet little Momma a lot. She has taught me from the time I was a child to love the Lord, by her word and by her example. I am so thankful that God gave me a godly Mother that would teach me these things. I still listen to her wise counsel. She has been down the road farther than me. I am so thankful for all of the wonderful things that she taught me. I will always cherish these things and wear them as an adornment of a beautiful garland on my head, and many pendants for my neck, that money could never buy! Don't worry Mom, I heard you all those years, and I'm still listening!